


One That Got Away

by Brittles_06



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Ron Weasley Bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:49:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29805915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brittles_06/pseuds/Brittles_06
Summary: Hermione reminisces about her time with Ron, her struggles, and how she came to be where she is today.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Kudos: 54





	One That Got Away

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first songfic ever  
> Inspiration hit while I was listening to this song on Apple Music one day and started tinkering away  
> There are dark undertones to this story but I didn't delve too deeply into any of, but if you trigger easily this may not be the story for you
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

**Artist: Hunter Hayes**

**Song: I’m The One That Got Away**

Knees were pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around the tops of her knees while her head rested on top of her arms. Her eyes were closed as she faced the window, the heat of the sun warming her as she kept her eyes closed. She had come in here to read, to find solace in the books that she so loved. However, today was not a day where she could focus on the black inked words on the crisp pages that enveloped her life so frequently. His library had become a safe zone over the past year, but it felt different today, or maybe it was just her?

She was feeling rather melancholy, which seemed to contradict the beautiful summer day that was happening around her. Green grass, a slight breeze ruffling the multitude of leaves that were abundant on the trees around the estate, it was all rather lovely, if she was in a normal state of mind. Shifting slightly, her black denim shorts rode up high on her thighs and she could feel her indigo tank top rise further up on her lower back. Normally she wouldn’t be caught dead exposing so much skin but today she couldn’t find a way to care.

**_I'm not a criminal_ **

**_(oh no oh no)_ **

It had been one year, to the day, that her life had been utterly turned upside down. She had been working at the Ministry of Magic for three years after completing her eighth year at Hogwarts. She was the head of her department, immensely enjoying the role and responsibilities that the position offered. Changes were finally coming to the wizarding world, and she was going to one of those people who spearheaded the projects. 

However, there was a letter from Ronald sitting on her desk, one she feared to open.

He had changed after becoming an Auror, had developed a bit of a nasty streak. Not that he ever hurt her physically but there were other ways. Hermione knew  _ she knew that _ he was being mentally and verbally abusive to her but she couldn’t find a way out. Ronald had started throwing hissy fits when she was at work past seven pm, so she strived to be home by six so they could have supper together. Then he demanded she was home at five unless it was absolutely  _ prudent _ that she needed to stay at work. It seemed as if nothing but a letter from the Minister himself would appease her boyfriend. 

Now . . . now she couldn’t even head to another department without letting Ronald know. He was controlling her every movement no matter where she was. It had become so bad that she barely felt like she could look at another person in the office or on the streets. She had no idea what she had done to earn such treatment, but then he started the mind games. Made her think it was all  _ her  _ fault.

**_But I felt like a prisoner_ **

**_(For so long so long)_ **

Returning home had her constantly on pins and needles. If she didn’t prepare the right meal then what kind of a girlfriend was she? Not that he  _ ever _ told her what he wanted to eat, she was just supposed to know. Ronald was  _ the  _ world’s biggest slob but if the house wasn’t spotless whenever he returned home then he would berate her. 

The four walls of their apartment had never felt so small and cold. 

Every time Harry would try to get her alone to see how she was doing, Ronald was immediately there. He would answer for her and when Ronald wasn’t looking Harry would give her a pained expression. Hermione would smile sympathetically at her best friend as she knew it was hard for him to try to choose aside. 

**_And all I ever wanted_ **

**_(Was to love and to be loved)_ **

Hermione had pictured the perfect life with Ronald after the defeat of Voldemort, and it was nothing like what she had imagined it to be. As Ronald tightened the reins she felt herself suffocating. She had loved him at one point but that had changed into the deluded sense of loyalty that had been forced down her throat. 

Love.

It has seemed like it would only ever be a fantasy, something to dream about. In her dreams, she could escape him, be  _ free _ , and find the love she was so desperately craved in her waking self. She watched Harry and Pansy in wonder when they would hold hands while walking, or when he kissed her softly on the forehead, or when Pansy pushed Harry up against a wall to ravage him. She  _ wanted _ that, craved that feeling. 

**_So what did I do to you_ **

**_(So wrong so wrong)_ **

Maybe she wasn’t worthy of love? After all, Ronald had forced her to believe that love was earned through acts of service. Where had everything gone wrong? It was a question that had frequented her mind for so, so long. What had she done to deserve this life? She had been the brains of every operation when the three of them were at Hogwarts battling the unknown and traipsing across the bloody countryside. Would she ever know the real reason why, it was highly unlikely. 

**_Oh 'cause you broke so much more than just a promise_ **

**_When you made me believe I wasn't wanted_ **

Hermione had been able to talk with Harry one night at a Ministry party when Ronald had drunk one too many free fire whiskeys, passing out at a random table. Had briefly and quickly explained what had happened, on the off chance that Ronald woke up or one of his many spies would report back to him that she was Harry for too long. It had become too apparent to her that Ronald must have someone following her. How else would he know how her day at work had been. Such as talking with Anita from accounting in the loo after lunch. 

**_I could miss you like you want but if I'm honest_ **

**_I feel like the one that got away_ **

Harry had said to trust him, that he would figure something out. The only issue with her best friend was that he was still shit at lying, so she had no idea how he was going to fool Ronald. He wouldn’t be able to come up with some elaborate plan of escape, not without talking in his sleep and accidentally outing himself. She would play her part,  _ praying _ that she could leave sooner rather than later. 

**_Don't know how I escaped_ **

**_Breathing better 'cause I'm better now_ **

Ronald’s drinking had gotten worse after that Ministry party. He was going out every weekend smelling like cheap beer and random women’s perfumes. Ronald had stopped trying to have sex with her months ago. At first, she had been hurt that he didn’t want to be with her but as her mind cleared she realized it was a blessing. She wasn’t sure she could fake such a thing with him anymore and the verbal lashing she would have received would have been awful. It was a small reprieve as she muddled her way through life. 

**_In the middle of the night_ **

**_Made it to the other side_ **

**_You can run but you can't catch me now_ **

It was a rainy day when Ronald had lashed out at her . . . in public. She had missed her step from the road to the sidewalk, tripping and falling into a rather large puddle. Her morning had already been full of him shouting at her for the sink not being empty, when it only had the plate, knife, and coffee mug from  _ his  _ breakfast as he decided she didn’t need to eat this morning. 

_ Fuck Hermione! Can’t you do anything right? Can’t even fuckin walk what use are you to me? _ She had been pulled out of the puddle, a large robe draped over her head and shoulders fully obstructing her view. She could hear Harry yelling at Ronald, could feel the anger radiating off of those around her but it started to fade. Hermione had been led away from the dispute and into a room where she was being magically dried and cleaned from her fall. That’s when the tears began to fall. Someone else now saw what she dealt with on a daily basis. It was a delicate balance of mortification and relief. 

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

Malfoy had been the one to take her away from the scene while Harry handled the aftermath. He had gone to their house, gathered ALL her belongings, and had moved them to Malfoy’s place. Harry and him had decided it was the best place for her to be since Ronald wasn’t very likely to show up on his doorstep. Harry had also put in a leave of absence for two weeks on her behalf with a magical restraining order on his ex-best friend. With Pansy’s assistance, they were able to make a safe haven for Hermione within Malfoy’s home. 

**_Turns out you're not a god_ **

**_(All the faith that I gave to you)_ **

**_Silence is all I got_ **

**_(And I hate that I prayed to you)_ **

It had taken Hermione several days to leave the room. She had shut herself within the four walls with a house elf bringing her meals three times a day. It had taken a while to start to unravel all of the pain and abuse she had been through. By no means was she “cured” but it had been a start. Realizing that she hadn’t been in the wrong all these years, that she had been a victim was tough to swallow. Hermione Granger was not a victim, well, not the Hermione Granger people saw in the tabloids. The woman who had cocooned herself in her bed for the first twenty-four hours was broken. The woman who opened the door to spend lunch with Malfoy was brave. The woman who very slowly opened up to her once enemy was strong. 

**_All the chains that I couldn't break_ **

**_The games that I couldn't play_ **

**_'Cause you'd always win them anyway_ **

**_Never thought there would come a day_ **

Hermione had returned to work after two weeks, with Harry, Pansy, and Malfoy’s support. Arthur and Molly had sent Ronald to live with Charlie for some “hard” lessons. That was all that was divulged and she had been thankful for that. She had begun to see a counsellor after a month. Hermione wanted to stop being scared every time someone raised their voice or if Malfoy walked into a room too quietly in his own home. 

Malfoy’s hospitality had come as a shock to Hermione. She couldn’t figure out what angle he was playing or when he was going to betray her. It wasn’t until he came to a therapy session with her that she realized that he had gone through something similar. He had to unlearn the teachings from his parents, work through his own trauma at the hands of Voldemort. It had given him a very different perspective on life, an ability to show compassion. He was still a snarky prat but she had learned so much about him in that hour, and for the first time she felt entirely safe within the walls of their home. 

**_Where I'd be safe and safe enough to say_ **

**_That I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Don't know how I escaped_ **

She had found her freedom. Had figured out  _ who _ Hermione was once again. Began to laugh, go out with friends, interact more with Malfoy within his home, and she had become productive at work once again. She was free to come and go as she pleased. Free to eat what she liked, when she liked, could have popcorn for supper if she wanted. She was free. 

**_Breathing better 'cause I'm better now_ **

**_In the middle of the night_ **

**_Made it to the other side_ **

**_You can run but you can't catch me now_ **

Six months had passed. Six months since she had been freed from the shackles that was her relationship to Ronald. Six months since she had come to live with Malfoy. One day since her therapy session had uncovered the fact that she was in love with Draco Malfoy.

Rationally, she knew that Malfoy and Ronald were two  _ individual and separate _ people. Logically, they came from different families, had different DNA, and looked nothing alike. Analytically, the two men couldn’t be farther apart in  _ every  _ aspect of life. 

Fear was keeping her from talking to Malfoy about her revelation. It held her fast, dark murmurs in the deepest part of her mind kept creeping up. Logic and love were comparing the two men constantly, always playing with her, taunting her with  _ What If’s. _

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

Hermione was tired of being scared. She had faced down countless evils in the world before she had ever left Hogwarts, so why was it so debilitating to admit that she had fallen in love with Draco? Month nine had rolled around and she had been sitting on her feelings for Draco for three. She no longer had an anxiety attack when he grabbed her hand, bumped shoulders with her, or tickled her until she cried. Actually, she had started sporting blushes whenever he did those things now. She had even begun to dream about his steel grey eyes, calloused hands roaming her naked body, how his lips would feel against hers. 

**_Is it worth the price I paid for staying_ **

**_I gave it all you gave it all away and now I'm_ **

**_Taking back the piece of me you wasted_ **

**_'Cause I'm the one that got away_ **

Hermione had gathered up her Gryffindor courage in month ten and  _ finally _ took her life into her own hands. She blew soap bubbles into his face, causing him to sneeze several times and her to laugh hysterically. Which had resulted in him tickling her until her knees gave way and she fell to the floor, him on top of her. The soul searching gaze is what she had been accustomed to, letting him stare for a few seconds before he ultimately rose up and helped her off the ground as well. Before he could pull away her hand rested on his pale cheek, thumb slowly rubbing back and forth. She leaned towards him and gently placed her lips against his.

He didn’t move.

Her insecurities started to resurface as a knot began to form in her chest. Had she read everything wrong? Maybe it was a one-sided love? Maybe he was manipulating her too? It all started to bubble up, constricting around her throat.

He kissed her back then. Teeth nibbling on her bottom lip causing her to gasp in surprise as his tongue swooped in to battle hers. Ronald never kissed her like this. Ronald never touched her like this. Ronald never loved her like this. This wasn’t Ronald.

This was Draco Malfoy.

**_Don't know how I escaped_ **

**_Breathing better 'cause I'm better now_ **

**_In the middle of the night_ **

**_Made it to the other side_ **

**_You can run but you can't catch me now_ **

“Hey, babe,” Malfoy had walked into the room where Hermione was gazing through the window. “What are you doing sitting in here alone?”

“I was thinking about everything that had transpired over the last year. A year, it’s crazy isn’t it?” Hermione looked at her boyfriend with misty eyes. 

“Skootch forward.” Hermione did as Draco asked. He slipped behind her, legs on either side of her body as he tugged her hips backwards. She sighed, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. Her hands rested on his, closing her eyes as she soaked up his warmth and comfort. “What do you need from me?”

“Just this,” Hermione whispered as she kissed the underside of his jaw. “Just you being you. That’s all I have ever needed.” 

“I love you, Hermione.”

“I love you too, Draco.”

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

**_I'm the one that got away_ **

**_Yeah_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment or hitting the kudos button


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